Common Manure Tea Myths

Unless you have been living under a rock, you know there has been a huge increase in the popularity of growing vegetables in the home garden.

This increase in popularity has also spurred a greater awareness of growing organically. Although home gardeners want to grow wholesome, organic foods, many will give you a dirty look when the topic of using manures is mentioned.

There are many misconceptions and myths to using herbivore manures for building great soils and growing fantastic plants. Whether you are growing sunflowers or butter beans, using manure fertilizers and manure tea, can have a positive impact on growing strong plant roots. And strong plant roots are the basic foundation for growing productive plants.

So, to debunk some common fears about using manure tea in your garden, here are a few myths and truths concerning manure teas.

Myth #1 – Manure tea will have a bad odor.

Authentic Haven Brand manure teas do not have a bad odor. After the sun-dried, composting procedure is completed, neither the tea bag nor the tea itself contain an offensive smell like raw manure would. In fact, our manure teas hardly have a smell at all. At best, it may have a very slight “barn-like” scent that is vaguely noticeable.

Myth #2 – Manure teas are difficult to brew.

Our manure teas are packaged in an all-natural cotton tea bag, which makes brewing a snap. Simply place a tea bag in five gallons of water and allow it to steep for one to three days. In most cases, the manure tea can be ready to use after just a few hours of brewing.

It’s just that simple.

Myth #3 – Using manure tea may burn my plants.

While it is true that raw manures can burn plants, well-aged manures will not if used in the appropriate amounts. Authentic Haven Brand uses nothing but well-aged manures that are composted in the sun over the course of several months.

The manure tea provides a great balance of nutrients and minerals that will never burn your plants. You can water plants with manure tea every day without worry of damaging plants. You can overwater your plants, so maintain a proper watering schedule.

Myth #4 – Manures contain harmful pathogens.

In recent years, there has been increased cases of E.coli and salmonella in the beef and produce industries. These cases have been directly linked to unsanitary livestock husbandry and produce handling. Instances of E.coli can increase with grain-fed cattle because their digestive systems are not “built” for grains such as corn.

Research has shown that cows fed a grass-only diet have a significantly less chance of passing the harmful E.coli bacteria.

Haven Brand cattle are raised on native, permanent grass pastures that are absent of pesticide use. The cattle are never given antibiotics or growth hormones.

In fact, samples of our composted manures are sent to various accredited labs periodically to be tested for pathogens. Sample results have never returned a positive reading for E.coli, salmonella, or other harmful bacteria.

Authentic Haven Brand manure tea is clean and green through and through.

Myth #5 – I’ll have to handle manure.

Since our manure teas are packaged in an easy-to-use tea bag, you never need to handle any manure. You don’t even have to handle the tea bag directly. Use the drawstring on the tea bag when handling or wear gloves.

Of course, we always recommend practicing good sanitary habits any time you are working in your garden.

Myth #6 – I will confuse manure tea with drinking tea.

Once the manure tea is brewed it can resemble a big jug of Lipton sweet tea, but use good ole common sense. Never store manure tea in drinking pitchers, cups for drinking, or in the refrigerator.

The tea bag packaging is twice the size of a drinking tea bag. This is done purposefully to eliminate any confusion.

It is best to use manure tea as soon as possible after it is brewed to avoid confusion and to retain the high level of nutrients and minerals it provides.

Myth #7 – Manure tea is easy to use, fun to brew and great for my garden.

Comments

I am in the process of producing my own manure tea. I plan to use them for my vegetable under experiment. We have sheep and I plan to use the manure as my material. It is one manure that decomposes slowly. I wish to sun-dry it. Will sun-drying cause decrease in Macro and micro nutrients of the manure through evaporation or other process when exposed to sunlight? Thank you, hope to receive feedback from you soon.

I have a couple pots of hydroponic plants (jade and a philodendron) and am aware that with the roots not snuggled in soil, I have to be VERY careful of the strength of solutions I feed them with. Can I use the MooPooTea on these and if so, can you suggest a dilution formula?

Great article on hydro. Thanks so much for the info. I’ll need to make the tea in smaller quantities since I am mobile and don’t have storage space for a lot of containers of liquid, not to mention the weight considerations of hauling a lot of spare liquid around with us.

I’ll let you know how all this work out since I’ll be using the tea for both hydro and soil plants. Sounds great!

Thank you for contacting us. You can use a tea bag several times if making small batches, steep the tea bag in a small container for a day and then feed your plants (one cup tea to 8 cups water) hang the used tea bag in a safe place to drip dry for future brews. If making a 5 gallon batch you can dilute that batch with 5 gallons of fresh water = 10 gallons. Take the used tea bag fill another 5 gallon bucket and allow it to steep for 2 to 3 days, note the tea will not be as dark as the first batch but there are valuable nutrients that will benefit your plants and soil.